I.inf. sync. decesse, Ter. Heaut. prol. 32; Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2; Neue Formenl. 2, 536. The part. perf. decessus perh. only Rutil. Nam. 1, 313), v. n., to go away, depart, withdraw. (For syn. cf.: linquo, relinquo, desero, destituo, deficio, discedo, excedo. Often opp. to accedo, maneo; freq. and class.)—Constr. absol. with de, ex, or merely the abl.; rarely with ab.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “decedamus,” Plaut. Bac. 1, 1, 74: “de altera parte (agri) decedere,” Caes. B. G. 1, 31, 10: “decedit ex Gallia Romam Naevius,” Cic. Quint. 4, 16: “e pastu,” Verg. G. 1, 381; cf.: “e pastu decedere campis,” id. ib. 4, 186: “ex aequore domum,” id. ib. 2, 205; “Italiā,” Sall. J. 28, 2: “Numidiā,” id. ib. 38, 9: “Africā,” id. ib. 20, 1; “23, 1: pugnā,” Liv. 34, 47: “praesidio,” id. 4, 29 (cf.: “de praesidio,” Cic. de Sen. 20, 73): “quae naves paullulum suo cursu decesserint,” i. e. had gone out of their course, Caes. B. C. 3, 112, 3; so, “cum luminibus exstinctis decessisset viā,” had gone out of the way, Suet. Caes. 31: “pantherae constituisse dicuntur in Cariam ex nostra provincia decedere,” Cic. Fam. 2, 11, 2.
B. Esp.
1. t. t.
a. In milit. lang., to retire, withdraw from a former position: “qui nisi decedat atque exercitum deducat ex his regionibus,” Caes. B. G. 1, 44, 19; “so,” absol., id. ib. 1, 44 fin.; Hirt. B. G. 8, 50: “de colle,” Caes. B. C. 1, 71, 3: “de vallo,” id. B. G. 5, 43, 4: “inde,” id. B. C. 1, 71 fin.: “loco superiore,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 9; so with abl., Auct. B. Alex. 34; 35 (twice); 70 al.—
b. In official lang.: de provincia, ex provincia, provinciā, or absol. (cf. Cic. Planc. 26, 65), to retire from the province on the expiration of a term of office: “de provincia decessit,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 20; “so,” id. Att. 7, 3, 5; id. Fam. 2, 15 (twice); Liv. 29, 19 Drak.: “decedens ex Syria,” Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 61; so, “e Cilicia,” id. Brut. 1: “ex Africa,” Nep. Cato, 1, 4: “ex Asia,” id. Att. 4, 1: “ex ea provincia,” Cic. Div. in Caecil. 1 Zumpt N. cr.: “ut decedens Considius provinciā,” Cic. Lig. 1, 2; Liv. 39, 3; 41, 10: “te antea, quam tibi successum esset, decessurum fuisse,” Cic. Fam. 3, 6; so absol., id. Planc. 26, 65 al.: “Albinus Romam decessit,” Sall. J. 36 fin.; cf.: “Romam ad triumphum,” Liv. 8, 13; 9, 16. —Rarely with a: “cui cum respondissem, me a provincia decedere: etiam mehercule, inquit, ut opinor, ex Africa,” Cic. Planc. 26 fin.
2. Decedere de viā; also viā, in viā alicui, alicui, or absol., to get out of the way, to give place, make way for one (as a mark of respect or of abhorrence): “concedite atque abscedite omnes: de via decedite,” Plaut. Am. 3, 4, 1; cf.: “decedam ego illi de via, de semita,” id. Trin. 2, 4, 80 (Cic. Clu. 59. 163; cf. II. B infra); cf.: “qui fecit servo currenti in viā decesse populum,” Ter. Heaut. prol. 32: “censorem L. Plancum via sibi decedere aedilis coegit,” Suet. Ner. 4; cf. id. Tib. 31: “sanctis divis, Catul. 62, 268: nocti,” Verg. Ec. 8, 88: “peritis,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 216 (cf.: “cedere nocti,” Liv. 3, 60, 7).—Also, to get out of the way of, avoid: “decedere canibus de via,” Cic. Rep. 1, 43, 67; cf.: “hi numero impiorum habentur, his omnes decedunt, aditum defugiunt, etc.,” Caes. B. G. 6, 13, 7.—By zeugma, in the pass.: “salutari, appeti, decedi, assurgi, deduci, reduci, etc.,” Cic. de Sen. 18, 63.
3. Pregn., to depart, disappear (cf.: cedo, concedo).
a. Of living beings, to decease, to die: “si eos, qui jam de vita decesserunt,” Cic. Rab. Perd. 11: “vitā,” Dig. 7, 1, 57, § 1; Vulg. 2 Mac. 6, 31; but commonly absol.: “pater nobis decessit a. d. VIII. Kal. Dec.,” id. Att. 1, 6: “cum paterfamiliae decessit,” Caes. B. G. 6, 19, 3; Nep. Arist. 3, 2, and 3; id. Cim. 1; id. Ages. 8, 6; Liv. 1, 34; 9, 17; Quint. 3, 6, 96 et saep.: “cruditate contracta,” id. 7, 3, 33: “morbo aquae intercutis,” Suet. Ner. 5 fin.: “paralysi,” id. Vit. 3: “ex ingratorum hominum conspectu morte decedere,” Nep. Timol. 1, 6.—
b. Of inanimate things, to depart, go off; to abate, subside, cease: “corpore febres,” Lucr. 2, 34: “febres,” Nep. Att. 22, 3; Cels. 3, 3; cf.: “quartana,” Cic. Att. 7, 2 (opp. accedere): “decessisse inde aquam,” run off, fallen, Liv. 30, 38 fin.; cf.: “decedere aestum,” id. 26, 45; 9, 26 al.: “de summa nihil decedet,” to be wanting, to fail, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 30; Cic. Clu. 60, 167; cf.: “quicquid libertati plebis caveretur, id suis decedere opibus credebant,” Liv. 3, 55: “decedet jam ira haec, etsi merito iratus est,” Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 55 (for which ib. 5, 2, 15: cito ab eo haec ira abscedet): “postquam invidia decesserat,” Sall. J. 88, 1; Liv. 33, 31 fin.; Tac. A. 15, 16 al.: “priusquam ea cura decederet patribus,” Liv. 9, 29; so with dat., id. 2, 31; 23, 26; Tac. A. 15, 20; 44.—Poet.: “incipit et longo Scyros decedere ponto,” i. e. seems to flee before them, Stat. Ach. 2, 308.—In the Aug. poets sometimes of the heavenly bodies, to go down, set: “et sol crescentes decedens duplicat umbras,” Verg. E. 2, 67; so id. G. 1, 222; Ov. M. 4, 91; hence also of the day, to depart: “te veniente die, te decedente canebat,” Verg. G. 4, 466; “also of the moon,” to wane, Gell. 20, 8, 7.
II. Trop.
A. De possessione, jure, sententia, fide, etc. (and since the Aug. per. with abl. alone; “the reading ex jure suo,” Liv. 3, 33, 10, is very doubtful), to depart from; to give up, resign, forego; to yield, to swerve from one's possession, station, duty, right, opinion, faith, etc.
(α).
With de: “cogere aliquem de suis bonis decedere,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 17 fin.; cf.: “de hypothecis,” id. Fam. 13, 56, 2; “and de possessione,” id. Agr. 2, 26; “de suo jure,” id. Rosc. Am. 27; id. Att. 16, 2: “qui de civitate decedere quam de sententia maluit,” id. Balb. 5: “de officio ac dignitate,” Cic. Verr. 1, 10: “de foro decedere,” to retire from public life, Nep. Att. 10, 2: “de scena,” to retire from the stage, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2; cf. impers.: “de officio decessum,” Liv. 8, 25 fin.—
(β).
With abl. alone (so usually in Liv.): “jure suo,” Liv. 3, 33 fin.: “sententiā,” Tac. A. 14, 49: “instituto vestro,” Liv. 37, 54: “officio (opp. in fide atque officio pristino fore),” id. 27, 10; 36, 22: “fide,” id. 31, 5 fin.; 34, 11; 45, 19 al.: “poema ... si paulum summo decessit, vergit ad imum,” Hor. A. P. 378.—
(γ).
Very rarely with ab: “cum (senatus) nihil a superioribus continuorum annorum decretis decesserit,” Cic. Fl. 12.—
(δ).
Absol.: si quos equites decedentis nactus sum, supplicio adfeci, Asin. Pol. ap. C. Fam. 10, 32, 5.
B. De via, to depart, deviate from the right way: “se nulla cupiditate inductum de via decessisse,” Cic. Cael. 16, 38: “moleste ferre se de via decessisse,” id. Clu. 59, 163; so, “viā dicendi,” Quint. 4, 5, 3.
C. (acc. to no. I. B. 2) To give way, yield to another (i. e. to his will or superior advantages—very rare): “vivere si recte nescis, decede peritis,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 213: “ubi non Hymetto Mella decedunt,” are not inferior, id. Od. 2, 6, 15.
D. (poet.) To avoid, shun, escape from (cf. I. B. 2 supra): nec serae meminit decedere nocti, to avoid the late night, i. e. the coldness of night, Varius ap. Macr. S. 6, 2, 20; Verg. Ecl. 8, 88; id. G. 3, 467: “calori,” id. ib. 4, 23.
E. To fall short of, degenerate from: “de generis nobilitate,” Pall. 3, 25, 2: a rebus gestis ejus et gloriae splendore, Justin. 6, 3, 8.
* III. For the simple verb (v. cedo, no. I. 2), to go off, turn out, result in any manner: “prospere decedentibus rebus,” Suet. Caes. 24.
